This archive report was first published on 30 October 2019.
On October 28, 2019, an 84-year-old man, identified as Claude Sinke, who had stood as a candidate for the far-right National Rally in 2015 regional elections, attempted to set fire to a mosque in Bayonne, southwest France.
During the attack, Sinke shot two men, aged 74 and 78, who came out to investigate. The victims were hospitalized in stable condition.
According to investigators, Sinke's motive for the attack was to avenge the burning of Notre-Dame cathedral in Paris in April, which he blamed on Muslims.
Prosecutors have charged Sinke with attempted murder, arson, and gun violence, and he is now being held in custody.
President Emmanuel Macron condemned the attack as a 'heinous attack' and vowed to punish the perpetrators and protect Muslim citizens.
The attack has further unsettled France, which is already embroiled in a debate about the observance of Islam in the secular country.
